Japanese Air Force

May 20 (Reuters) - Japan may drop the F-35 stealth fighter from a shortlist for the country's next generation fighter due to a sharp delay in the plane's development plan, Kyodo agency reported on Friday citing diplomatic and defense sources.

The operational test of the radar-evading F-35 -- being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp and Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway -- is not expected to begin until 2017 and this would not satisfy Japan's desire to receive delivery of the next fighter by March that year, Kyodo said.

The development of the multi role F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, due to replace various aircraft in the military fleets of both the United States and its partners, has been hampered by delays and ballooning costs. [IDN19138761]

If Japan were to drop the F-35 its shortlist will be narrowed down to Boeing Co's F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Eurofighter is a four-nation consortium of EADS , representing Germany and Spain, Britain's BAE Systems and Italy's Finmeccanica .

The Eurofighter Typhoon, used by NATO nations and Saudi Arabia, would be Japan's first European fighter jet.

But the sources reckon that Japan, which has emphasised coordination with U.S. forces, could pick the F/A-18, Kyodo said.

Japan is looking to make the selection at the end of the year. The new fighter will replace Japan's aging F-4 Phantoms. (Writing by Shinichi Saoshiro; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)

They could probably themselves do to the F-4 what the US has done to the F-18 and come up with their own fighter...

Will be interesting to see whether they give the European jet a real chance... it is a good aircraft, and is actually a new jet, though in many ways its air to ground capacity is a bit limited at the moment, while the air to ground component of the F-18 is fully mature.

I am surprised they aren't just going to buy more F-15s to replace the F-4s.

Don't they already have F-15s in service?

Wouldn't more F-15s make more sense in terms of brand new Silent Eagles with new AESA radars and parts that can be introduced to their in service Eagles to further upgrade the whole fleet.

The Japanese already have built and developed a 5th Generation fighter. The Mitsubishi ATD-X.

It's common knowledge the Japanese military is behind trying to get the US military out of Japan so they don't have to spend $2 Billion annually to support a small US military contingent. They want to free up the money to build their own hardware.

Japan's been very anti-US over the last few years. The US Congress publicly humiliating the Toyota Exec was one of the methods they used to remind them who owns them. 2 Japanese caught trying to sneak hundreds of Billions in US Treasuries into other countries...Japan even agreed to build/run the Iranian nuclear reactors not too long ago before they were slapped down and reminded who runs the world. I'm sure Russian knows all of this and has been following the IRanian news releases/ chat with Japan.

Japans got a battle plan and looking for a partner to get it's honor back. I'd suspect they have some nukes by now.

^^good postWe must also know the rivalry with the Chinese in this prospect & by the way the Kuril islands adventure against the Russians. I bet Japanese for the near future will rely on US support to neutralise the effect by the above mentioned numerically superior enemies.

Defence analysts monitoring the three-way dogfight for the multi-billion contract say Tokyo has been impressed with the stealth technology of the Lockheed Martin F-35, which will enable it to carry out clandestine monitoring of Chinese, North Korean and Russian military assets in the region.

It also remains indebted to Washington for the assistance the US military provided in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake.

“Even before March 11 there were many factors in favour of the F-35, but since then that national security relationship between the two governments has become much closer,” one analyst with knowledge of the bidding told The Daily Telegraph.

The third aircraft in the running for the contract is the Boeing F/A18 Super Hornet and representatives of Eurofighter and Boeing have scheduled a joint press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday to debate the merits of their aircraft.

The consortium behind the Eurofighter Typhoon is continuing to promote the aircraft, however, and remains confident in its product.

“We are in daily contact with the Japanese Ministry of Defence regarding their F-X evaluation,” said Andy Latham, vice president of Typhoon exports.

“We maintain that our cost-effective proposal offers Eurofighter Typhoon, the world’s most advanced multi-role combat aircraft, as Japan’s best option to meet the requirement for its F-X programme and the most capable deterrent to regional threats,” he said.

A decision is expected in December and opting for Typhoon would be particularly welcomed by BAE Systems, one of the three European companies building the plane, which in September announced nearly 3,000 potential job losses across Britain.

However BAE is also building part of the F-35 for Lockheed.

RAF Typhoons flew around 3,000 operational hours over Libya, reporting a 99pc success rate against fixed targets and 98pc against mobile targets. That combat experience is seen as vital to the bid.

Eurofighter has declined to reveal the price tag on the aircraft, but each jet is believed to cost around £65m.

The Typhoon is in service with the air forces of the four countries that collaborated on the project and has been sold to Austria and Saudi Arabia

The governments of India, Greece, Qatar, Oman, South Korea, Denmark, Switzerland, Turkey, Romania, Malaysia and Bulgaria are all also reportedly considering acquiring the aircraft.

The Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) has requested JPY3.7 billion (USD37.4 million) for Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) to develop an advanced radar and fire-control system that can detect stealth aircraft.

The MoD request focused on research and technological development of the system to detect and track stealth aircraft that evade existing radars, the MoD official in charge of the programme told IHS Jane's on 24 September.

"This is a basic technology research programme over six years to build a prototype radar system that can detect stealth fighters," the official said. "We aim to put it into practical use within a 10-year target period."

Now that the PAK FA is approaching operational service the US will likely do the same, and will also likely look at taking the IIR seeker of the AIM-9X and putting it in an AMRAAM body for long range engagement of LO aircraft...

Nazis Shinzo Abe should be happy.Their fighter is not beautifull, even though, unfortunetly, this fighter must be comparable to the Su Pak T-50.Has he vectoring thrust ? Let's hope nop. If so, new war is next.I strongly hate Shinzo Abe, he looks like Hitler, but in worse.

Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera has reaffirmed the nation's plan for a 2014 first flight of the Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X (ATD-X) fighter: a prototype for a future fighter to replace the Japan Air Self-Defence Force's Mitsubishi F-2.

"In February I myself visited at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' (MHI's) Komaki Minami plant where the ATD-X is being built," Onodera told the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Upper House on 10 April. "There I was briefed that the first flight will take place this year."

The ATD-X, also known as Shinshin ('Heart of God'), is being developed by the ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), with the main contractor of the project being MHI. It has been designed to be a stealthy air-superiority fighter with enhanced manoeuvrability. The Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) will use it to research advanced technologies and system integration, after which it plans to produce a 'sixth-generation' fighter encompassing i3 (informed, intelligent and instantaneous) concepts and counter-stealth capabilities.

"Originally MHI planned to roll-out the ATD-X before the media in May, soon after Japan's Golden Week holidays, followed by the first test fight," an official at TRDI told IHS Jane's on 15 April. "Now it is several months behind schedule."

Onodera also said in the Diet that the MoD will decide by FY18 whether to build its future stealth fighter domestically or by international joint development, based on parameters such as technological achievements and cost effectiveness.

Japan's plans to develop an 'F-3' from the ADT-X could run into opposition from the United States, however, which has blocked Tokyo's attempts to develop an indigenous fighter in the past.

The 1980s FSX support fighter programme was blocked by Washington, which pressured Tokyo over concerns that the growth of the Japanese aviation industry could damage that of the United States. The pressure eventually led to the co-development of the F-2: a platform based on the Lockheed Martin F-16C.

Officials said that with China and Russia deploying the Chengdu J-20 and Sukhoi PAK-FA T-50 fifth-generation aircraft respectively, Japan's development of a fast stealth fighter is becoming vital to national air defence.

"We know that our 28 radar sites are effective at detecting third- and fourth-generation fighters from a long distance, but with the appearance of fifth-generation fighters we are unsure how they will perform," Lieutenant General Hideyuki Yoshioka, then director of Air Systems Development at the TRDI, told IHS Jane's in November 2011.

The MoD allocated JPY2.7 billion (USD26.5 million) for research on radar and fire control systems able to detect, track and respond to stealth aircraft in FY14.

nemrod wrote:Nazis Shinzo Abe should be happy.Their fighter is not beautifull, even though, unfortunetly, this fighter must be comparable to the Su Pak T-50.Has he vectoring thrust ? Let's hope nop. If so, new war is next.I strongly hate Shinzo Abe, he looks like Hitler, but in worse.

Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera has reaffirmed the nation's plan for a 2014 first flight of the Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X (ATD-X) fighter: a prototype for a future fighter to replace the Japan Air Self-Defence Force's Mitsubishi F-2.

"In February I myself visited at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' (MHI's) Komaki Minami plant where the ATD-X is being built," Onodera told the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Upper House on 10 April. "There I was briefed that the first flight will take place this year."

The ATD-X, also known as Shinshin ('Heart of God'), is being developed by the ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), with the main contractor of the project being MHI. It has been designed to be a stealthy air-superiority fighter with enhanced manoeuvrability. The Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) will use it to research advanced technologies and system integration, after which it plans to produce a 'sixth-generation' fighter encompassing i3 (informed, intelligent and instantaneous) concepts and counter-stealth capabilities.

"Originally MHI planned to roll-out the ATD-X before the media in May, soon after Japan's Golden Week holidays, followed by the first test fight," an official at TRDI told IHS Jane's on 15 April. "Now it is several months behind schedule."

Onodera also said in the Diet that the MoD will decide by FY18 whether to build its future stealth fighter domestically or by international joint development, based on parameters such as technological achievements and cost effectiveness.

Japan's plans to develop an 'F-3' from the ADT-X could run into opposition from the United States, however, which has blocked Tokyo's attempts to develop an indigenous fighter in the past.

The 1980s FSX support fighter programme was blocked by Washington, which pressured Tokyo over concerns that the growth of the Japanese aviation industry could damage that of the United States. The pressure eventually led to the co-development of the F-2: a platform based on the Lockheed Martin F-16C.

Officials said that with China and Russia deploying the Chengdu J-20 and Sukhoi PAK-FA T-50 fifth-generation aircraft respectively, Japan's development of a fast stealth fighter is becoming vital to national air defence.

"We know that our 28 radar sites are effective at detecting third- and fourth-generation fighters from a long distance, but with the appearance of fifth-generation fighters we are unsure how they will perform," Lieutenant General Hideyuki Yoshioka, then director of Air Systems Development at the TRDI, told IHS Jane's in November 2011.

The MoD allocated JPY2.7 billion (USD26.5 million) for research on radar and fire control systems able to detect, track and respond to stealth aircraft in FY14.

With such small wings on the ATD-X it's hard to imagine that maneuverability wouldn't be encumbered by the lack of lift caused by the small wings, and it doesn't help that the tiny wings is paired with a long nose/cockpit which would create excessive drag.

As far as Shinzo Abe's character goes, let's put it this way if he had it his way he would have all evidence of Japanese WW2 war crimes (such as gang rapes of Chinese and Filipino women) destroyed and completely expunged from the history books!

Last edited by magnumcromagnon on Mon Apr 21, 2014 10:26 pm; edited 1 time in total

magnumcromagnon wrote:With such small wings on the ATD-X it's hard to imagine that maneuverability wouldn't be encumbered by the lack of lift caused by the small wings, and it doesn't help that the tiny wings is paired with a long nose/cockpit which would create excessive drag.

Sorry, I reedited the message, I've seen the previous post was full of errors, it was merged, I don't know how with another message.

The next japanese fighter is at better comparable to the early model of Mig 29.Hope never Russia will give back kourilles islands. Indeed, Abe is the new Hitler.

hmm, f-15 & f-22 bastard child much?im pretty sure this would be capable, and even more sure the price would be real hiiiiiiiiiiiii.still no match for PAK-FA tho. hehehe.regarding kurils, hell the japanese are downsizing themselves big time- the pretty little archipelago of theirs cant really support that much people and they cant really expand into nearby lands. And if they cant do so now when their neighbors are just getting stronger what can they do after 2 decades?

@collegeboy: Do not know much about Japan's military tech, but considering the very high level of this country in technology and machinery, the ATD-X should not be underestimated.

Considering the size, population, and an economy which depends heavily from imported material, and the military which depends terribly on US support, there is no way Japan can be a threat to Russia or any neighbors.

I am more concern about the brainwashing campaign of Japanese neoconservative about the WWII war crimes. Recent agressive stance of China is probably used as a reason for textbook censorship.

I don't know whether Japan is booting US out of its interrests, or simply another way to prove that Nippon too could concept their own stealth program.Or simply, Japan is fed up with the increasing price, and infinite problems with Joint Strike Fighter. Or simply, another assumption, US influence is decreasing. Remember, the same programme during the 80's -FSX- was not welcome by US administration. In that time, Reagan and Bush increased pressures on Japan to not bypass US approvals.

Reports in the Japanese press recently suggested that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is planning on launching the maiden flight of their stealth technology experimental aircraft as early as next January. The plane, called the Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X, or ATD-X, will not be a prototype of a production aircraft, functioning instead as a vehicle for testing stealth capabilities.

Japanese engineers and designers are using the ATD-X project to improve their grasp of critical technologies, as well as provide a proof-of-concept demonstration of these advanced applications before their incorporation into a full-scale production model. The hope is that the testing and validation of various technological aspects will simplify the design and construction of their proposed next-generation fighter aircraft, which is currently dubbed the F-3.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Technical Research and Development Institute, the branch of Japan's Ministry of Defense that is overseeing the project, were both quick to deny the reports of a January launch, however, noting that they have not finalized plans for an inaugural test flight. Discussion in the press had indicated that the Japanese government expects to take over the ATD-X prototype in March and examine its performance over the following two years.

Defense industry observers believe that Japan will decide by FY 2018 whether it intends to build its next-generation fighter by itself or seek out international partners. In terms of regional hardware, the F-3 will have to contend with Chinese stealth fighter jets and potentially Russian ones, so it will likely be a stealthy aircraft but will also require significant counter-stealth capabilities.

Japan had expressed interest in the F-22, a top-of-the line US fighter jet, although the sale of the F-22 outside the US was ultimately blocked. Japan is currently slated to deploy the multi-role F-35 once it has finished development.

GarryB wrote:Now that the PAK FA is approaching operational service the US will likely do the same, and will also likely look at taking the IIR seeker of the AIM-9X and putting it in an AMRAAM body for long range engagement of LO aircraft...

But But i thought stealth planes cannot be detected by radars . lol . Now US will also work on such radars with PAK-FA coming to service .

No one is updating Japanese thread . they are working on various stuff .

Japan to test fly F-3 stealth fighter this summer

The highly anticipated F-3, Japan's first domestically-made stealth jet, is aiming to conduct test flights this summer, reports the PLA Daily, If the tests are successful, the F-3 will represent a breakthrough for Japan in terms of stealth capabilities and high-powered engine technology, the report said. The advanced fifth-generation fighter, which originates from Japan's advanced technology demonstrator-experimental (ATD-X) program, has been designed to deliver superior performance in the four major quality indicators of stealth, supersonic cruise capability, maneuverability and integrated avionics systems.

In terms of stealth technology, the F-3's exterior is said to contain absorbing materials that can reduce radar reflection. Apart from evading radar detection, the aircraft also aims to eliminate visible light signals, electronic signals, heat and noise in order to minimize detectability.

The cruise capability of the F-3 will rely on its 15-ton-level high-powered engine co-developed by Japan's IHI Corporation and the Technical Research and Development Institute of the country's Ministry of Defense. The engine will reportedly feature XF5-1 low-bypass turbofan technology and composite ceramic materials highly resistant to heat.

Ordinarily, fighter jets need to make a compromise between stealth and maneuverability, but the F-3's design is said to be able to resolve the conflict. The jet has been designed to be light and multi-purpose, with diamond-shaped wings with no empennage. It has also borrowed advantageous designs from other American fighter jets, with an intake ramp similar to that of the X-32 and a Y-shaped tail that resembles the YF-23.

The F-3's avionics system integrates a high-performance active phased array radar, electronic warfare systems and multi-function RF sensors, with fiber cables to enable high mobility control and improved radar technology to expand the detection area and distance.

Despite its impressive design, the F-3 still faces many practical obstacles before it can become a reality, the PLA Daily said. Researchers are still exploring engine capabilities and need to figure out problems such as compressors and burners for such a high-powered engine. The fact that engines in the older F-2, which are less powerful than those in the F-3, have malfunctioned during flights, with reports of strong vibrations during high speeds, demonstrates that Japan's engine technology is not sufficiently mature, the PLA Daily added.

The aircraft's avionics system is also problematic because it is split into software and hardware, and Japan's lack of experience dealing with complex air flows could make the system vulnerable to poor weather conditions. The hydraulics system is also believed to be a concern for a stealth jet designed to be so agile.

Additionally, Japan's fighter materials technology has reached a bottleneck. The US F-15, for instance, has a titanium proportion as high as 26.5%, but it is not practical for Japan to simply copy the Americans as the former is completely reliant on imports for such raw materials.

The development of the F-3 carries significant strategic meaning for Japan, the PLA Daily said. On the one hand, the aircraft is viewed upon as a return to form for Japan's aviation industry and represents a show of strength against China, especially given Tokyo's efforts to lift its constitutional prohibition against collective self-defense. On the other, a successful F-3 program shows that Japan can stand on its own in developing a superior fighter. Japan has been over-reliant on the US in developing fighter jets in the past, rendering its own technologies lagging. America's guarded attitude towards Japan has led to the US suspending cooperation on multiple occasions, so the F-3 could end up being a bargaining chip in future negotiations.

But But i thought stealth planes cannot be detected by radars . lol . Now US will also work on such radars with PAK-FA coming to service .

Stealth does not make an aircraft invisible to radar... it just dramatically reduces the effective range at which the aircraft can be reliably detected and tracked on X band radar.

That is why I am suggesting that the US will likely take the IIR seeker from the sidewinder and fit it to their AMRAAM... the tiny X band seeker on the AMRAAM would be a poor choice to detect a stealthy target, but the IIR seeker on the X model Sidewinder should get a lock.

"The Japanese government said Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, it has selected Boeing Co.'s KC-46A as country's new aerial tanker, and plans to begin adding the aircraft to the Air Self-Defense Force fleet from around fiscal 2020. Japan's Defense Ministry plans to buy three air tankers under the country's medium-term defense buildup program through fiscal 2018, which underscored the need to enhance the capability to protect remote islands. "With more aerial tankers, our aerial defense capability will be reinforced," Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said at a news conference.

The United States proposed a sales price of about 20.8 billion yen ($172.8 million) per tanker, according to the ministry, which will book the costs in the fiscal 2016 budget. Only the U.S. government participated in the bidding through early September. Boeing and U.S. Air Force team successfully completed the first flight of a KC-46A tanker aircraft on Sept. 25, 2015.

The KC-46 is equipped with the latest and most advanced technology, including a digital flight deck with the same large 15-inch electronic displays as on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft is equipped with the Raytheon AN/ALR-69A(V) Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and the Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ-24(V) Directional Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) system."

"The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of three unmanned drones worth $1.2 billion to Japan, the Pentagon said Friday. Lawmakers have 15 days to block the sale, although such action is rare. Once the deal has cleared that hurdle, Japan and the U.S. government can negotiate the actual sale. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, told lawmakers the government of Japan had asked to buy three Global Hawk drones including parts and logistical support.

The drones “will significantly enhance Japan’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and help ensure that Japan is able to continue to monitor and deter regional threats,” the agency said in a notice to lawmakers that was posted on its website. Japan has long been mired in a territorial dispute with China over a group of tiny, uninhabited East China Sea islands. In the South China Sea, Japan has been helping build the military capacity of friendly nations with claims to parts of the waterway.

On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that he may consider a request from the Philippines for large coast guard ships to patrol the South China Sea. The prime contractor on the deal would be Northrop Grumman Corp."

Militarov wrote:"The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of three unmanned drones worth $1.2 billion to Japan, the Pentagon said Friday. Lawmakers have 15 days to block the sale, although such action is rare. Once the deal has cleared that hurdle, Japan and the U.S. government can negotiate the actual sale. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, told lawmakers the government of Japan had asked to buy three Global Hawk drones including parts and logistical support.

The drones “will significantly enhance Japan’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and help ensure that Japan is able to continue to monitor and deter regional threats,” the agency said in a notice to lawmakers that was posted on its website. Japan has long been mired in a territorial dispute with China over a group of tiny, uninhabited East China Sea islands. In the South China Sea, Japan has been helping build the military capacity of friendly nations with claims to parts of the waterway.

On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that he may consider a request from the Philippines for large coast guard ships to patrol the South China Sea. The prime contractor on the deal would be Northrop Grumman Corp."

Wait, what, $1.2B for 3 drones that would mean each would cost $400m, unit cost is around $130~225m a pop, so with part and logistics the price almost doubled.

So here's the thing, weren't UCAVs presented as a cheaper alternative compared to fighters, but from what i see you could probably buy one or two squadrons of SU-35s (even F-22s, please correct me if i am wrong) with that money.

Militarov wrote:"The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of three unmanned drones worth $1.2 billion to Japan, the Pentagon said Friday. Lawmakers have 15 days to block the sale, although such action is rare. Once the deal has cleared that hurdle, Japan and the U.S. government can negotiate the actual sale. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, told lawmakers the government of Japan had asked to buy three Global Hawk drones including parts and logistical support.

The drones “will significantly enhance Japan’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and help ensure that Japan is able to continue to monitor and deter regional threats,” the agency said in a notice to lawmakers that was posted on its website. Japan has long been mired in a territorial dispute with China over a group of tiny, uninhabited East China Sea islands. In the South China Sea, Japan has been helping build the military capacity of friendly nations with claims to parts of the waterway.

On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that he may consider a request from the Philippines for large coast guard ships to patrol the South China Sea. The prime contractor on the deal would be Northrop Grumman Corp."

Wait, what, $1.2B for 3 drones that would mean each would cost $400m, unit cost is around $130~225m a pop, so with part and logistics the price almost doubled.

So here's the thing, weren't UCAVs presented as a cheaper alternative compared to fighters, but from what i see you could probably buy one or two squadrons of SU-35s (even F-22s, please correct me if i am wrong) with that money.

Well you know spare parts, maintenance crews training, operators training, ground stations, probably some additional diagnostic equipment and tools... it can grow alot. Also this is thing is supposed to be replacement for U-2 "Spy plane" (even tho there are quite significant issues with that replacement) so its not really UCAV since its not armed.'

It has synthetic aperture radar, thermographic camera and optical sensors, and already common navigation and communication equipment. Its basically very big surveillance unmanned aircraft (big for fact its unmanned).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Military Aircraft Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is being awarded a $285,975,244 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive (firm target) contract (N00019-13-C-9999) for non-recurring engineering and recurring efforts to support the production and delivery of one E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft for the government of Japan under the Foreign Military Sales program.

Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida (81 percent); St. Augustine, Florida (10 percent); Herndon, Virginia (6 percent); and various locations within the U.S. (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2019. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $285,975,244 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is a game changer in how the Navy will conduct battle management command and control. By serving as the “digital quarterback” to sweep ahead of strike, manage the mission, and keep our net-centric carrier battle groups out of harms way, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the key to advancing the mission, no matter what it may be. The E-2D gives the warfighter expanded battlespace awareness, especially in the area of information operations delivering battle management, theater air and missile defense, and multiple sensor fusion capabilities in an airborne system.

With a two-generation leap in radar sensor capability and a robust network enabled capability, the Advanced Hawkeye will deliver critical, actionable data to joint forces and first responders. These advances provide warfighters with the necessary situational awareness to compress the time between initial awareness and active engagement. Earlier the Japan Air Self-Defense Force bought thirteen E-2C to improve its Early warning capabilities. The E-2C was put into service with the Airborne Early Warning Group (AEWG) at Misawa Air Base in January 1987."

A prototype of Japan's 5th generation stealth air superiority fighter, the Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin, will make its maiden flight in February, Tokyo-based news magazine The Diplomat reports.

A prototype of the aircraft, developed by the Defense Ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), will undergo taxiing and ground trials at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries testing center in Aichi Prefecture, before taking to the skies 'sometime in February'. It will be flying to the Gifu Air Field in neighboring Gifu Prefecture.

According to The Diplomat, the ATD-X program's primary objective "is to develop a research prototype aircraft — an 'advanced technology demonstration unit', to test the capacity of Japan's defense industry to develop, among other things, a powerful fighter engine and various other indigenous stealth fighter aircraft technologies."

​Japan's indigenously developed and produced fifth-generation air superiority fighter, designated the F-3, is expected to begin serial production in 2027, although delays on the ATD-X prototype, originally scheduled to be fully developed by 2018 (and to make its maiden flight last year), put this time frame in question.

With the F-3 program starting up in response to the United States' refusal to sell Japan the Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor back in 2007, Japanese media have also reported that Lockheed-Martin has attempted to undermine the ATD-X's development. Purchasing 42 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in 2011, Japan has indicated that the American planes are an interim solution until Tokyo can develop and produce its own 5th generation fighter.

So far, one full-scale ATD-X prototype has been built.

Last month, Japan announced large-scale plans to fortify its positions along 200 islands in the East China Sea, to be equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile batteries, stretching 870 miles from the country's mainland toward Taiwan, and aimed at countering the Chinese Navy.